80:10:10 vs. Complete - What's the difference?
Raw Feeding: 80:10:10 vs. Complete
Raw feeding is becoming increasingly popular in recent years, it follows dogs, cats and ferrets natural diet and has countless benefits from improved digestion, glossier coat, healthier skin, improved mobility, reduction in allergies and much more. There are many different approaches to feeding a raw diet, from DIY, Balanced over time or feeding pre-made minces.
We understand raw feeding can be a mine field, especially if you are new to feeding raw, however our aim at Raw Feeding Dagenham is to help keep things super simple which is why we only stock pre made 80:10:10 and complete minces - but you might be wondering what the difference between the two are?
Here we will highlight the main differences between the two and hopefully answer any lingering questions.
Whats the difference?
- 80:10:10: This is a raw mince with 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, and 10% offal, mimicking what animals eat in the wild. It's a balanced base, but not a complete in itself. They are super convenient building blocks for a complete diet, which are basically 90% the way there and just require a few minimal tweaks. Make sure to feed as many protein options, aiming for at least four over the course of a week or two - beef, chicken,duck, pork, turkey, lamb for example. You may also choose to add additional ingredients such as cooked veg or super-foods and/or supplements. It is also often recommended to feed oily fish 1-2 times per week (luckily some 80:10:10 minces have this in them), some people like to add an egg 2-3 times per week too.
- Complete Raw Food: These meals are developed by nutritionists to contain all the essential vitamins and minerals in a single meal, they generally contain added veg* and or superfoods, meaning that if you were to only feed that one flavour forever, your pet wouldn’t be missing out on any important nutrients. Its a great option for those who cannot feed variety due to allergies, those new to raw or those who are wanting piece of mind that their dog or cat is getting everything they need out of a raw diet.
*Completes for cats do not contain veg but may contain species appropriate superfoods.
When choosing which route to go down, there really is no right or wrong - you can even mix and match the two. Of course, its important to factor in your dog or cats preference and your budget or even packaging/meat source preference. Choose the food that is best for you and your pet.
Important notes: 80:10:10 minces are interchangeable and are suitable for dogs, cats and ferrets, they are considered complementary feeds. Complete minces on the other hand are more species specific - a complete for dogs generally contain veg which is not needed in a cat and ferrets die as they are purely carnivorous, completes for cats can be fed to ferrets, but aren’t considered a complete for dogs.
10% bone also isn't for all, whilst this ratio suits majority, some pets - in particular older dogs, puppies and cats may benefit from slightly reduced bone content. Signs of this may include frequenty constipation. Reducing the bone content is easily achievable by adding boneless meat such as economy mince or boneless chunks. In most cases, bringing it down to 8% is a sweet spot, so mixing in roughly 100g of boneless meat to 454/500g 80:10:10 will bring it to this value. You may also choose to try feeding a complete instead, as this often resolves any issues.